As with your rifle, the caliber is simply personal choice. In
short any caliber from the 9.3x62mm upwards loaded with quality ammunition will
do the job on your BUFFALO safari.

(Check the legal requirements for the area you intend to hunt
in and ensure you adhere to it!)

In most cases the .375 H&H Magnum will be the smallest caliber
you are allowed to use for BUFFALO, and, only ammunition weighing in at 300
grains bullet weight will be allowed. Be legal at all times!

As mentioned in the other sections about rifles and "My choice",
the choice on ammunition
is personal, but performance is vital! Buy and use the brands
shown here and you will be happy. Any
reload is only worth something if if the loads are chronographed - until then,
you simply do not know what you are talking about. BUFFALO safaris are not cheap,
so do not skimp on cheap ammunition.

You should be able to shoot a 3 inch grouping at 50 yards after a 5x
mile walk. In other words, after a fair amount of exercise you must be able to
handle your rifle with ease, confidence, and efficiency! Practice this over and
over. Walk the last 5 miles to your rifle range, pick up your rifle and shoot at
the target. Get to know your rifle, and be in a comfort zone to handle the recoil comfortably. Large
calibers are not shot 50x times in a session, but you must be able to pull off
4x shots without a flinch or nasty jerk, and shoot a 3 inch grouping.

Naturally the recoil from your rifle will affect your shooting
style and accuracy. So DO NOT buy a 600 Nitro if it kicks like a donkey and you
cannot handle it! Bullet placement and Bullet performance will make for a
good BUFFALO safari not a large caliber rifle. You must be able to shoot your
rifle several times in one day, and still be able to smile, talk and lift your
elbows high over your shoulders.

Remember I wanted to show "off the shelve" standard products
with the rifles! So my choice is dictated accordingly by the availability of
calibers and standard factory produced ammunition.

For practice I will then use .458 reloads and play all day long.
It is true that I am starting to talk about reloads now! Most large caliber
fanatics are serious reloaders as well. I do reload all my calibers and enjoy it
tremendously. The reloading makes for less expensive alternatives on the
practice range and some very mild recoil loads can be easily setup to suit my
needs. In South Africa ammunition is very expensive, in any caliber, so unless
we reload, we do not practice as much as we like to.

I was once told by a very irritated hunter: "... my boy,
we don not waste ammo on paper..." Guess what, I was also told by his close
friends that he was chased off a ranch because he wounded animals!

Practice makes perfect. There is a reason why the old wise
professionals tell us to dry fire and practice all day long. After all shooting
is a wonderful way of getting to meet new friends, so go to the range often and
learn.

The true beauty of a BUFFALO Safari will be learning curve and
loads of literature available on the subject. There are numerous calibers
available and even more custom wildcats calibers available. All based on two
caliber cases as primary design - the .375 H&H Magnum and the .458 Winchester
Magnum. Do your research and enjoy it. Don't break your head over mathematical
numbers and equations, choose a caliber you like and combine it with ammunition
you like! Trust me, you will shoot straight and like it even more!

The .450 Rigby with 500 grain ammunition, it is definitely a
African classic and will be a good choice.

The .416 Rigby with 400 grain ammunition is widely mentioned as a
good BUFFALO caliber.

....if and only if ...you are well aware of
the recoil, the bigger calibers will also do the job just fine and a long list
of big calibers are available. The very popular .470 NE and 505 Gibbs are only
two available. If you cannot hit the
target because you flinch you will also not enjoy the BUFFALO safari because you
flinch. These calibers are also used by the Professional Hunters as backup
calibers because the backup shots do require to penetrate at awkward angles.

You will not be presented with the incorrect body position of a
BUFFALO by your professional hunter. It is too risky and normally ample time
will be available to wait for a change in the Buffalo's position. The shooting
distance will be "up close and personal". You will be amazed at the very close
range Buffalo are presented and shot placement will not require a big bore
caliber. If indeed you are faced with these scenarios in a different way, you
booked with the wrong professional hunter.

It is unnecessary to start a "new and endless" campfire debate
about calibers. IF you can handle the recoil of your rifle and hit the target,
you are going to have the time of your life.

I do not intend to start a major search for equipment that is
not available on the shelve. However the rifle and caliber world changes all the
time and manufacturers do not always tell us what they are up to. Lets take a
closer look at what is available "tomorrow"!

In no specific order:

.450 Rigby Rimless

.458 Express and .458 Express R (see the domain atww.458express.com) I bought a .458 Express from the importers in
South Africa in January 2009 in .458 Express caliber!!!

These are two calibers that I truly believe will be available by
Gun Makers as a standard rifle calibers soon. We can expect these two to create a
very good reputation for themselves in Africa. The .450 Rigby is a .416 Rigby
case sized up to handle a .458 bullet. NORMA lists the ammunition in their
catalogue. The .458 Express developed by Prof K Badenhorst is a 2.99 inch
case , larger than .458 Lott cases, and .450 Watts cases, taking the .458 diameter bullets. According to the
developer more than 200 (in year 2008) rifles has been built in this caliber and
the ballistic performance is good. I eagerly await his literature!